A Court Reporter Not To Be Messed With

Vietnam veteran and court reporter Ronald Tolkin was in the right place at the right time. That place was a courtroom in Brooklyn, New York. Others present: prosecutor Carolyn Pokorny, defendant Victor Wright, Judge Block, and U.S. Marshal Alvarez. As reported by nymag.com, after lunging at Ms. Pokorny with a contraband razor, “[Wright] was tackled first by … Tolkin, who later reconstructed the incident based on digital recordings. His unofficial transcript, first leaked to AbovetheLaw.com, is excerpted below.”

(Time noted: 3:30 p.m.)
(Whereupon Judge Block takes the bench.)Ms. Pokorny: Hello.Court Reporter: Good afternoon, Your Honor.Mr. Rabkin: How are you? How are you, Judge?The Court: Fine, and you?
…The Court: Is [defense attorney] Mr. Batchelder here?Courtroom Deputy Clerk: Yes. He is in with Mr. Wright.The Court: All right.
(Whereupon Mr. Batchelder, the defendant, and Deputy U.S. Marshal Alvarez and Deputy U.S. Marshal Vavasis enter the courtroom.)Courtroom Deputy Clerk: Well, Mr. Wright looks better today. He looked like he was depressed and a broken man the last time.
(Whereupon the defendant turns toward Ms. Pokorny and attacks her.) (Whereupon there is screaming.)Court Reporter: You cocksucker, get off of her. Get off of her. Get off of her. You cocksucker, get off of her.U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Get off of her.Court Reporter: I will beat the shit out of you, you motherfucker. You cocksucker. Who the fuck do you think you are?U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Get off.Court Reporter: Try it on me, man. I’ll kick you in the fuckin’ balls.U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Get off her.The Defendant: I apologize.Court Reporter: You apologize, you piece of shit.U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Get off of her.The Defendant: They are choking me.Court Reporter: You fuckin’ put your hands behind your back, you cocksucker.
…U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Move your hands behind your back. Move them now.Court Reporter: I got one. I got one hand. I got one. I got one.U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Put your hands behind your back.Court Reporter: Get the other one. Cuff from the other.U.S. Marshal Vavasis: You fuckin’ asshole. You motherfucker.U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Leave him there now.Court Reporter:: You cocksucker.U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Leave him there.Court Reporter: Fuckin’ shit. Son of a bitch. I’m all right. Where is Carolyn?Courtroom Deputy Clerk: I told her to leave.
…Female Court Security Officer: 10-4 control, we need an ambulance. 10-4. In 10-C we need an ambulance to be called, please.Control: 10-4.Court Reporter: Is she all right, Carolyn?Female Court Security Officer: She wants an ambulance.Court Reporter: Good. All right. You will have to put this over.Courtroom Deputy Clerk: No shit, Sherlock.Court Reporter: Yeah.U.S. Marshal Alvarez: She is feeling okay but she got like some bruises.Court Reporter: You better get an ambulance.U.S. Marshal Vavasis: We are just going to take this guy in the back—Control: 10-4.Court Reporter: This is going to be put over anyway.U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Yeah, I know.Court Reporter: It can be put over because we are not doing nothing today. I have it on audio. I have it all on audio. That fuckin’—
(Telephone ringing.)The Court: The Marshals are here?Court Reporter: Two Marshals are here. They took him down. They took him down, Judge. Carolyn is going to have an ambulance to go to the hospital.The Court: What happened to her?Court Reporter: She got all bruised, Your Honor. She wants to go to the hospital. I guess we are going to put this over?The Court: Yes, it is going to be put over.Court Reporter: Yes.The Court: But why didn’t the Marshals respond? [The panic button] did not work, Mike? I am terribly concerned about this.Courtroom Deputy Clerk: All right. In the old building we had to press it in.
(Telephone ringing.)U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Look what I found.
(Whereupon the Marshal picks up a razor blade.)Court Reporter: What is that, a razor?U.S. Marshal Alvarez: It is a razor blade. He was going to cut her.Court Reporter: Great.
…Court Reporter: Let me turn this off.